Thread by @JustinParmenter

The racist history of school vouchers, a brief thread:

#nced #ncpol #ncga

The roots of school vouchers in our country can be traced back to the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court court case in which justices ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Constitution. history.com/topics/black-h…

Following this ruling, white leaders in many communities tried all kinds of devious ways to subvert it.  In Virginia, those efforts included eliminating taxes in order to defund schools and closing them rather than simply allowing racial integration. americanprogress.org/article/racist…

After pressure by the courts to comply with Brown increased, the Virginia state legislature created a “tuition grant program” which provided funding for students to attend private schools or public schools in other areas.

In Prince Edward County, black students were denied access to those tuition grants. www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/civilrightstv/…

White flight is not as socially acceptable as it once was, and modern-day proponents of school vouchers often sell them as an equalizer that allows students of color to opt out of struggling traditional public schools.

However, in North Carolina, the majority of voucher funds go to white students–despite the fact that students of color form a majority of the k-12 student racial demographics. ncseaa.edu/opportunity-sc…

Legislation proposed by #NCGA Rep. @triciacotham and her @NCGOP colleagues would eliminate the income eligibility requirement for receiving vouchers in North Carolina, meaning b/millionaires could have private school tuition they're already paying subsidized by taxpayers.

In a refreshingly candid remark, State Superintendent @CTruittNCDPI recently admitted that most vouchers will go to families who already have children in private schools.

https://twitter.com/nckhui/status/1663991408686972928?s=20